Today at Manchaug Pond… A little work, a little rest.
Today the Town of Sutton Highway Department put some time in at the State Public Access Boat Ramp working on the main gate. Seems with time it had settled making it difficult to line up, lock and unlock. They also put more topsoil on the pervious pavers with talk of reseeding in the fall. This neck of the woods sure has been getting a lot of attention! And later in the evening, the wind died down with a beautiful red sunset finishing the day.
Manchaug’s Big Birds -How about this one!
Do you know this one? A few days ago this big bird circled and flew in dipping close to the road in front then going up to land on a neighboring house. Sat on the roof quite awhile looking around and sunning its wings. All was silent in the area including that rooster we often hear in the distance, and the small flock of chickens here went inside their coop. Look at that distinctive head to help you identify….
Manchaug Pond and Tuesday’s Morning Fog
About 6:30 Tuesday morning a fog rolled in to Manchaug Pond and the shoreline neighborhoods were wrapped in white. The water was calm and quiet with no boats on the water. But I said to myself, “Jeez, I can’t report that… there are “Those opposed” who would have a field day with us being put a fog!” But the fog had rolled in and I knew first hand that the MPA had kept its head – stayed on course these past few years working toward a solution to the waterlevel issue and yet not losing sight of our overall mission and other goals and priorities. We are seeing our s.319 grant through – bringing new technology to the watershed to get at the root causes of weed growth and poor water quality. The findings to our latest weed study are in and we continue to broaden our efforts in the watershed with groups concerned about land conservation, coldwater fisheries, wetlands protection, invasives and the river system as well as Manchaug Pond. Stabilization of the waterlevel has been achieved and an awareness of our 380 acre lake exist within the user community, the two towns and at the state level…. and …
Beautiful Day for a Bike Ride
It was finally a beautiful morning and a perfect day for the Pan Mass Challenge which over 5,000 people from around the U.S. participated in to raise money for cancer research. It is a two day ride that starts in Sturbridge and ends up in Provincetown, 192 miles in all. While I was taking my early AM “coffee cup Tour d’Manchaug” kayak trip I could hear people saying “WOW, beautiful lake!!!” or “WOW, nice view!” as they came down Manchaug Rd. Kudos to everyone who participated or volunteered for the challenge and we look forward to seeing you next year! Click on the title of this post to learn more.
Heavy Rains, Runoff a Test for Grant Sitework
The afternoon brought heavy rains to already saturated soils here in the Manchaug watershed. 2 plus inches of rain by the rain gauge lakeside. Here down past the village on Whitins Road a tree took down wires and made travel a bit dangerous. But back at Manchaug Pond as we check in on the site work for the stormwater grant at the Public Access Boat Ramp, we see a lot of runoff being caught and filtered. The Highway department foreman had the original asphalt taken out at the edge putting a greater slope in around the cobblestones to allow the flow off the parking lot into the plunge pools. We definitely will need plants that can handle lots of moisture and wet roots! Native species have been chosen and ordered from the New England Wildflower Society. Our MPA s.319 Grant Coordinator and Sutton Town Highway Department Superintendent are already discussing needs on the other side of the ramp parking lot to capture and filter the runoff there. So after this grant is completed next year, the MPA and the town will partner with pen to paper in hand to forge a new grant project to further address water quality and …
It Is Out! Secretary Bowles Decision Released by Town
July 7th was the meeting. July 14th was the deadline for comments. July 24th the decision was expected. Here it is! The long awaited decision by state Environmental Affairs’ Secretary Ian Bowles has been released by the Town of Sutton website. Over 30 state agencies, environmental groups and individuals joined the MPA to stand in support of Manchaug Pond and bring to light concerns and devastating impacts of the proposed project to breach the dam: Senator Richard Moore, Reps. Callahan and Kujawski, the Blackstone River Coalition and Mass Audubon, The Bass Federation and the Massachusetts Bass Federation, Douglas Selectman, Town of Sutton, Sutton Conservation Commission, and MassDEP, Mass Department of Fish and Game, Mass Dept of Conservation and Recreation and a number of citizens and attorneys. Secretary Bowles notes “the proposed project has garnered widespread opposition from the public and from officials at both the state and local level.” In the document, it is clear that Secretary Bowles understands the value of this lake to the property owners in the watershed, to up and down stream, to the local communities and to the Commonwealth. He calls for an arrangement “to prevent significant adverse environmental impacts to Manchaug Pond and provide …
Chronicle Article: “State Requiring Detailed Dam Report”
Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, July 30, 2009 State requiring detailed dam reportSUTTONBY JOSH FARNSWORTH The Manchaug Pond Reservoir Corp. has been on the receiving end of a laundry list of complaints from officials and residents in Sutton and Douglas. Last Friday, the state added a lengthy list of its own. Ian Bowles, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, stated in a certificate that the Manchaug Pond Reservoir Corp. and its parent company Interface Global must provide a thorough Draft Environmental Impact Report prior to moving forward with the company’s plans to divest ownership and liability of the dam. The company had stated that it was considering breaching or eliminating the dam, which has not been in use since the nearby mills in Douglas closed years ago. Interface Global had filed an Environmental Notification Form to help move the project ahead. Sutton Town Administrator Jim Smith, who has vehemently opposed the breaching proposal, says the company has a long way to go in satisfying all areas of concern with the state. “The certificate sets a very high threshold for Interface Global to meet,” he said. “In its strongest terms, I believe the answer from the state even questions the …
Testimony: Coldwater Fishery
Here is another letter in opposition to the breaching application filed by the dam owner. This testimony was submitted by a family in the watershed of Manchaug Pond to Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles as part of the MEPA process – ENF # 14435 Dear Secretary Bowles, Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments regarding the future of Manchaug Pond in Douglas and Sutton. As long-standing environmentalists in the community, we consider it of utmost importance to preserve and protect this important body of water and its watershed to the best of our ability. We own forested property that includes a substantial portion of a tributary to Manchaug Pond. We believe it is the “unnamed tributary” referred to in the enclosed Division of Fisheries & Wildlife letter directed to the Sutton Conservation Commission dated September 15, 2008, as we had requested that Fisheries survey the stream to determine if it was a coldwater fishery. It is and, as you well know, as our climate changes it is critical that we maintain habitat that preserves and protects our native trout species. Another “disconnect” with Manchaug Pond because of drawdown that does not address the long …
Did YOU Vote Yet!?!
Did you take the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle poll?Which body of water is the most scenic in the summer? Dorothy Pond 2 Singletary Lake 4Ramshorn Pond 1Manchaug Pond 11Stevens Pond 0Howe Pond 0Blackstone River 3Brierly Pond 1Other 2 COME ON NOW! Take a minute and vote! Manchaug Pond received 11 votes as of yesterday. I know I have far more readers than that that tuned in to this blog on Monday…. and given the other ponds didn’t receive all the other votes where are you! Just click on to the title of this post and I will take you there! http://www.millburysutton.com/Current/Sutton/ More importantly, thank you to all of you who took the time to send your letter of testimony to Secretary Ian Bowles in support of Manchaug Pond. Joining the MPA is this effort are our local officials from the Towns of Sutton and Douglas, our state senator and representatives, a number of state agencies and a number of environmental advocacy organizations and friends of Manchaug Pond! Each one of us working together can make a difference! The MPA continues to work to the future of Manchaug Pond.
Ease the Flow Downstream!
Here at Manchaug Pond the water level is going down… fast. The flow as seen on Parker Road, Sutton: Let’s be thankful it did not rain overnight. The dam at Manchaug Pond and the newly implemented 1930 Rule Curve is dumping enormous amounts of water downstream. A flood watch was implemented this past weekend at one area business with hourly monitoring of the river required. We have seen the Stevens Pond dam and the dam at Manchaug center act just as they have been designed in order to handle the tremendous flow. The flow over Stevens Pond yesterday: The flow in the village of Manchaug – not just a ripple. And the water over the falls in the village center – calmer than the weekend. But back on Manchaug Pond, trying to stick to the new rule curve, I am sure has been a challenge for the dam owner. Weekly, if not daily rainstorms, keep bringing the waterlevel up as the dam owner works to take it down the steep slope of the new curve. While we on Manchaug Pond are happy not to have been flooded with recent rainstorms, there continues to be the nagging yet realistic concern downstream …